Telegram-herald., 1887-12-19
ELKS WITH ANTLERS
ABOUT The ORIGIN or The ORDER
The Recent ssssfos of the Grand Lodge
Reported 10 the LscAl Eiks sunday
Night Msssiags-fhs frt1oiPtss sf
Charity. J-stsos. sr0t hsxiy Love
sAa Fidelity.

The Benevolent sni Protective. Order OF
Eks is growing 50 rapidly throughout the
oountry. and especially in this city, that It's
objects and purposes have aroused no little
curiosity ia this a well as other oomUuni-
ties. The order a. iss name indicates. is 9
benevolent and charitable fraternity. IL
MAS sounded nearly quarter OF 8 century
ago by the members OF the dramatic and
lyric profession and for many years none
were admitted 10 the order except those
with the amusement profession lIs ritual
iBenlcated the prscePts OF Charity. Jsstoe.
BrotheFiy Love and Fidelity. ana while the
social element entered very largely into the
ground work OF the order, the above great
principals were ever kept in view. Al
though II Was and is the mission of the
order TO dispense charity without oetents-
ton the lnsny benevolent acts Of
the order spread far beyond
the limits oi the profession for which II vas
originally intended, until there are now
some . 900 Elks within the United States
OF America membership embracing very
many OF the most prominent members OF
the learned professions, including the law. 4.
the dramatic and lyric professions, 10 say
nothing OF thousands OF representatives OF
the business and political world, num-
bering some of the most prom
inent and wealthy men in America.
From the fact that large
percentage of members of the order were Of
the amusement profession the regular COM
munications of lodges are held on Sunday
| evening in order 10 accommodate large
business compels them 10 amuse others
during every week day evening of the year.
| Notwithstanding this fact there are numer-
| Gus clergymen who are enthusiastic men,
| bers of the order, the rector OF a wealthy
| Episcopal church In Chicago being mem-
| Der of the Grand Lodge.
| la Michigan the Order has grown with
| surprising rapidity, there being in Detroit.
| Saginaw and Kalamazoo wealthy lodges
made UP of the most respected and inhu
ential citizens of those towns. 1t is unneces-
ssry 10 state that the lodge in this city is one
| is the most thriving in the West. Singular
| ly enough the motto of the State of Michi-
| gan shows two elks. or an elk snd moose
| rampant, as Il Is sometimes pictured. This
| NAV account 10 q certain extent ior the
rapid gro wth of the Order in the State
| The recent session of the Grand Lodge in
| New York, by amendments TO the constitu-
| ton and statutes of the order, broadened
and enlarged the charitable and benevolent I
scope of the Fraternity. TO the local lodge
last evening its Exalted Ruler made re-
| port of the transactions of the Cram Lodge,
which held three days session in New
York during the past week. The
/ report set forth that the members
! from Michigan embracing members
| DoupoDt Stirring. Rush and Lee, Of De-
| trolt, Hofisieiier of Kalamazoo, kerngood,
| OF Sanginaw, and Ford. Chauncsy. Judd and
| Breeze, of Grand Rapids, voted with most
| OF the western lodges 10 make the Grand
| Lodge. which has been held in New York
| fer over twenty years migratory in its char
acter. There were upon the floor of the
| lodge half dozen members of Congress,
| the Exalted Grand Ruler, w. L. En- glish. of
| indianapolis, son oil Ex-Governor
English, being an exmember of
| Congress- and score or more
OF the most eminent legal lights in
| the United 81 ates. The lawyers discovered
| that the charter Of the lodge, having been
| granted by the legislature of New York,
the Grand Lodge could only hold its ses-
| siOns within the State that gave it birth.
| The legel point having been raised, the
| proposition 10 make the Grand Lodge
! mig atory was defeated. The time of the
| meeting OF the Grand Lodge was changed
| from December TO July. The report 10 the
local lodge recited the fact that there were
nearly tour hundred representatives, OF
lodges throughout the United States.
ana that the gathering was a
representative. body of men from the
rocs-ribbed coast OF Maine TO the Golden
| Gates Of the Pacific, and from the rushing
rapids of the Father OF Waters az Minneap-
oils to where the broad river glides through
| orange groves and magnolia trees in New
| Orleans TO lose itself in the Gulf CT Mexico.
| The report concluded with the assurance
| that every Elk who attended the session of
| the Grand Body was a better Elk than
| when he went awsy. And the Grand Rap
| ids representatives returned with substan-
| tial assurances that the lodge in this city is
| known throughout the Fraternity as one OF
the best within tie Order.